Tiles

History and Background

Tiles have been for many years the most exported finished product in terms of Portuguese limestone. Markets such as the USA, UK and few others dominated the demand for this type of product. With new competitors such as China, but also limestones from other countries, the market for the export of Portuguese limestones tiles reduced dramatically. Today, there are very few factories in Portugal with the infra-structure to produce ongoing standard tiles.

Nowadays, the production of Portuguese limestones tiles is seen by many manufacturers as a complement to their main activities, as a way to use waste material or excess production from other supplies. Despite this situation, there is still an interesting market for the export of Portuguese limestone tiles, particularly for small scale project from private clients or private developers with more clients buying directly from factories.

Popular Limestones

The most popular types of limestones used for tiles export are by far the Moleanos. Here, we will see different demands according to country and market, for Moleanos Classic, Moleanos Fine or Moleanos Blue.

Cabeca Veada or Fatima limestones are also popular products in tile format, where we see a regular demand for clean colors and uniform patterns.

Markets and Trends

The most relevant export markets for Portuguese limestone tiles are the USA, but also UK and few European countries. We see some countries in the Middle East having consistent demand for these tiles, particularly private clients buying directly from the factories in Portugal.